Vietnamese gluten and dairy-free coconut honeycomb cake

Watch how-to make Vietnamese gluten and dairy-free coconut honeycomb cake on Youtube

Blog in Vietnamese: Bánh bò nướng

Coconut honeycomb cake, or Bánh bò nướng in Vietnamese, is a gluten and dairy free cake with a slightly chewy texture and an interesting honeycomb-like pattern, due to air bubbles in the cake.

I am so glad that I stumbled upon this unique recipe. When I saw the attractive images on Jules Food Blog I couldn't wait to give it a try. As you see, I did it! I was so happy that it turned out well the first time I tried. The cake came out with a pretty honeycomb texture, which I've heard is the hard part. 

As Jules Food Blog mentioned, the honeycomb effect is created by using single acting baking powder. It's activated by moisture alone, while the more common double acting baking powder is activated twice--by moisture, and again by the heat of baking. So make sure to get single acting baking powder if you want to bake a pretty honeycomb-like cake!

(Adapted from Jules Food Blog and Pinke Food blog)

Ingredients:

1/2 can (200ml) thick coconut milk
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
6 eggs
1 cup (200g) tapioca starch/ flour
1 pack Alsa single acting baking powder
2 tsp fresh pandan leaf extract (*)
green food color (optional)

• (*) Watch my video about how-to make pandan leaf extract here. You can also substitute it with comercial pandan leaf extract or vanilla extract. 

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 350°F(180℃).
In a small sauce pan heat coconut milk, sugar until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool completely. Then mix with pandan leaf extract and food color (if using)
In a separate bowl, mix the tapioca flour and baking powder.
In another separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. 

Don’t beat too hard, since we don’t want bubbles and foam to appear. Beat until it's smooth and uniform.

• At this time, put the greased pan into the oven to preheat.

Shift one third of the flour mixture in the egg & coconut mixture, and quickly, but gently, beat until combined. Shift another one third in, and mix again.
Remove hot baking pan from the oven.

Strain the batter through a sieve into the hot baking pan,

and put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake sit in the pan for about 10-15 minutes.
Place a dish on the pan, then turned it over to take the cake out.
It's only slightly sweet. and tastes the best just plain by itself.

Itadakimasu!
Bon appetit!